Fluorescent paste has been widely used in the manufacture of a fluorescent fine particle film for use in display apparatuses, such as cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) and plasma display panels (PDPs), illuminators, such as fluorescent lamps, X-ray intensifying screens, and luminous substances.
Fluorescent paste contains fluorescent fine particles, a solvent, and a binder resin. After the fluorescent paste is applied on a substrate, and the solvent is removed, a fluorescent fine particle film is formed by sintering (see, for example, Patent Document 1) or curing of the binder resin (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-226669.
[Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0099859.
However, as in a light-emitting diode described in Patent Document 2, the remaining binder resin in a fluorescent fine particle film reduces the content rate of fluorescent fine particles, thus lowering the luminous efficiency. As a fluorescent film described in Patent Document 1, when the fluorescent fine particle film is formed by sintering, although the density of fluorescent fine particles in the fluorescent film can be high, the manufacturing efficiency is low, and the substrate requires heat resistance.
Furthermore, in conventional methods using fluorescent paste, it is difficult to control the thickness of a fluorescent fine particle film at a fluorescent fine particle size level.